FEATURE ARTICLE

A Hard Look at IT-Business Alignment: Why the Challenge Persists

By Jeff Welsh, President, STAR BASE Consulting

IT professionals and their colleagues across the business have consistently recognized the value of aligning strategies—and have just as consistently failed to achieve it. With so much to gain from the successful alignment of these two spheres, why do so many companies still have significant work to do in this area? We set out to answer this question and more in our recent Pulse Survey. Read more…

CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHT

IT Wellness Check™ Aligns IT with Business Units

Keir Educational Resources had an IT development project that was six months behind. They lacked confidence that their IT structure could deliver the new custom ERP system or support their increasing growth of the business. Keir turned to STAR BASE who conducted an IT Wellness Check that refocused the project and saved Keir thousands of dollars. Read more…

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

"STAR BASE gave me so much insight that I now feel confident that IT can support us with our growth plans. STAR BASE elevated the professionalism of our IT staff."

- Henrietta Nye, Keir Educational Resources

THE BLOG FILE

What We Have Here Is an IT Failure

By Jeff Welsh

Why do so many IT projects fail? Or is IT failure really a business failure? Rather than having a separate business strategy and IT strategy, shouldn't the IT strategy be a component of the overall business strategy? And what would that mean for the career aspirations of business management and IT management? Read more…

Managing IT Like an Investment Portfolio

By Jeff Welsh

An IT strategy by itself is just a pipe dream or someone's grand fantasy. Your IT strategy must be linked to your business strategy. In managing IT like an investment portfolio, are your IT plans in line with overall business plans? Read more…

Business Analysis Has Far Reaching Impact on the Business

By Aaron Whittenberger

When performed correctly, business analysis literally changes the way an organization does business. However, the converse is just as true —when business analysis activities are not done properly or not performed at all, the negative impact on competitive advantage is considerable. As Keith Ellis says, "This is not an IT thing, it's a business success thing." Read more…

Download the 2010 Pulse Survey Report

The IT-Business Alignment Snapshot
We recently revealed the results of our 2010 STAR BASE Pulse Survey, which found that
51% of participants described IT as "completely separate" from their business organization. To see additional survey findings and compare how your organization's alignment of IT and the business lines up with the results, click here.

STAR BASE SPOTLIGHT

STAR BASE is proud to spotlight president Jeff Welsh! A 25-year IT industry veteran, Jeff has a storied career working in both the trenches of information technology and at the helm of a leading Cincinnati technology consulting firm. Read more…

COMMUNITY EVENTS

STAR BASE Supports the Future Farmers of America
For the eighth year in a row, STAR BASE participated in the FFA's annual fundraiser, wherein fruit baskets are assembled and sold, much like a mini-business. This year, the event is poised to produce outstanding numbers.

For more information about upcoming events in the area, visit the events calendar by clicking here…